Catharine Crozier has found a connecting thread linking these three works other than the obvious one that they are all by French composers of a similar vintage. The clue is given by the disc's title ''Things Visible and Invisible'', a quotation from the Nicene Creed. Each is seen to revolve around the contrast between known and unknown, the earthly and the heavenly, between good and evil. In the case of Messiaen it is found in the Transubstantiation central to the Mass, with Langlais the move from Death to Resurrection (the central part of his trilogy based on Gregorian paraphrases) and with Alain the final struggle between the ''Joys'' and ''Sorrows'' of his Dances.
Crozier's playing is uncompromising in its intensity, powerful in its vision. She doesn't impose, rather she allows the music to flow entirely naturally, resulting in some truly magical performances. The transformation in Langlais's first Paraphrase from the contrapuntal working of the ''Ave Maris Stella'' into a celestial, timeless melody (4'16'') is unforgettable; the act of Communion in the fourth part of Messiaen's Messe when, at 3'30'' the chirping of heavenly birds suddenly turns into something infinitely profound, is utterly enchanting. Her vital, rhythmic grasp gives lightness and point to the spirited (not to say spiritual) movements of the Alain Danses. It is all helped by a superlative recording which, in the words of producer John Eargle, allows just enough of ''the natural overhang of reverberation'' to enhance this ravishing organ's sound without losing any of its directness. This is one of the most stimulating organ discs I've heard for many a long year.'